Rational Identity in Man of the Crowd and Nevsky Prospect

  In his essay ‘The Metropolis and Mental Life’, Georg Simmel suggests that the modern life of the metropolis forces urban dwellers to forge an intellectualistic perception towards their environment. Simmel precisely uses the term intellectualistic to imply that these individuals are required to have an analytic and rational mindset to navigate the city. In Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘Man of the Crowd,’ the narrator sits in a coffee and observes various individuals in a modern city that is similar to Simmel’s metropolis. In the narrative’s observations, we see a cold and insensitive manner in which the individuals lose their uniqueness.  In Gogol’s ‘Nevsky Prospect’, the narrative reflects on a crowded city with various people from various backgrounds which adds complexity and chaos to it. In both stories, the narratives have a trace of Simmel’s intellectual character. However, I will argue that in both stories people that we see from narratives’ points of view are depicted to have “intellectualistic” character traits.

       Simmer argues that “the psychological foundation, upon which the metropolitan individuality is erected, is the intensification of emotional life due to the swift and continuous shift of external and internal stimuli” (p.11). To put it another way, a metropolis provides an overwhelming number of stimuli and because of that the individual’s identity evolves into a more rational and insensitive form.  Simmer asserts that intellectualistic quality is a defense mechanism against the fast and complex pace of modern life. Ultimately, the intellectualistic individual adapts a rational mindset to cope with modern life. However, it isn’t possible to react to every stimulus excessively produced in a metropolis. Hence the individuals in the modern city develop a defense mechanism that Simmel calls “to be blasé” which causes individuals to be less reactive to stimuli. Simmel explains this phenomenon as follows “Just as an immoderately sensuous life makes one blasé because it stimulates the nerves to their utmost reactivity until they finally can no longer produce any reaction at all” (p.14) In both stories, Nevsky Prospect and Man of the Crowd, we see the individual’s inclination to be blasé which is a sign that they develop an intellectualistic consciousness that lacks emotion and sympathy.

      In Poe’s ‘Man of the Crowd,’ the narrative follows a man wandering in the city and trying to blend in with the crowd. The anonymous man does not necessarily represent the intellectualistic individual described in Simmer’s essay, but he utilizes the crowd in a way that he becomes anonymous and hidden. His anonymity is provided by people’s lack of awareness of their surroundings. He wanders in the same streets, “I astonished to see him repeat the same walk several times---”. Also, he enters various shops without uttering a word; “He entered shop after shop, priced nothing, spoke no word, and looked at all objects with a wild and vacant stare” (p.89). The crowd does not notice any strangeness which suggests that everyone is interested in their personal space and does not dwell on issues that do not trouble them which is a very rational and individualistic understanding of life. At the end of the story, the narrative presents a crucial insight about the man, “This old man,’ I said at length,’ is the type and the genius of deep crime. He refuses to be alone. He is the man of the crow” (p.91). These lines unveil the reason why the narrative has a special inquisitive manner towards the man. The man does not fall into a class or a categorization. He chases a different type of crowd formed by different people pursuing anonymity and ultimately achieving uniqueness which is a very seldom trait in modern city.

      In Nevsky Prospect and Poe’s ‘Man of the Crowd,’ the narrations give the reader a detailed description of what a modern city looks like, and through this narrations, we understand that people adapt the modern life similar to how Simmel says people do. The narrative has an advertising and positive tone to it. However, it does not hinder its mechanized voice coming out of the descriptions filled with various categorizations of people. It starts pointing out the escapist aspect of the city “once you enter it you are sure to forget all business” (p.136). Here it foreshadows the intensification of the stimuli produced by the city. Later in the story, it emphasizes the city’s diversion “many feet have left their traces on it” (p.136). These two descriptions unveil that we enter a city that is similar to what Simmel is talking about when he means a metropolitan city. We also see people’s unawareness of their surroundings “if your collar sticks our too far over your tie—no one will notice it” (p.137) which is one of the signs of modern intellectualistic consciousness. More importantly, however, the narrative mainly focuses on how Nevsky Prospect alters according to the time of the day and how people change accordingly to the time. It gives very precise and specific descriptions as to what people do from various backgrounds. The fact that narrative categorizes people with these precise and specific descriptions leaves no place for uniqueness since it puts even the strangest people into a group. Besides, the descriptions are focused on actions rather than emotions giving the narrative a cold and mechanized voice. Consequently, the cold and unemotional tone of the narrative implies the city’s modern aspect that requires individuals to be rational.

      Moreover, in Nevsky Prospect The protagonist, Piskarev mistakes a woman of the night with a ‘noble woman’ and he only realizes it after he follows her home and sees where she lives. He makes a very rational deduction that requires  analytic thinking “At first he refused to believe it and began studying the objects that filled the room more attentively; but the bare walls and curtainless windows showed no presence of a thoughtful housewife” (p.141) Piskarev’s approach tells us that he is a very rational character, however, he is very inconsistent. He falls in love with the woman of the night which he does not want to because she is not a ‘noble woman’ and hence a problem arises because of his uncontrollable emotions. He, however, tries to resolve such a problem with practical solutions. He sees her in his dreams and hence he takes sleeping medicine to see her more which is a practical but bad solution that eventually results in his death. He even offers her to quit her job and be a housewife that can inspire him as he paints. The solutions that he comes up with reveal the rational aspect of his character, however, he’s emotional side crashes with his rational side which is the precise reason for his agony. He cannot adopt the modern life of the city and develop a fully intellectualistic character. He still has an emotional side disrupting his rationality exhibiting the frustrating face of the modern city.

      In conclusion, both stories present a trace of Simmel’s metropolitan city. Poe’s ‘Man of the Crowd’ draws attention to urban dwellers' tendency to be blasé whereas ‘Nevsky Prospect’ rather focuses on the diversity of people and how it makes the city chaotic but harmonic at the same time. Overall, both stories present an intellectualistic modern image of individuals.